Throughout the NBA Playoffs, ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Breen has been behind the microphone for several signature moments as teams square off in a quest to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Breen, who is part of the lead announcing team for the NBA on ESPN, works alongside analysts Doris Burke and JJ Redick and sideline reporter Lisa Salters for a majority of the contests. The team was recently on the call for the New York Knicks’ Game 3 matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night and documented a clutch three-point shot from Andrew Nembhard that turned out to be a game-winning basket.
Breen called the sequence with a sense of excitement and anticipation in his voice, trying to be objective despite also serving as the Knicks television play-by-play announcer during the regular season on MSG Networks. Dan Le Batard referred to Breen as a “pillar of professionalism,” but asserted that there was some legitimate disappointment as he narrated the moment that sealed the game for the Pacers.
“I believe his heart was totally broken in that spot and he was trying to conceal it,” Le Batard said. “Because this is a lovable Knicks team and how can he not be emotional, but he tries not to be biased; he tries to be objective and it’s a human illusion.”
Indiana continued its momentum during Game 4 on Sunday to even the series at two games a side heading back to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. Breen discussed the series within his appearance on Monday’s edition of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, but he also met with an accusation from Le Batard about being biased and corrupt. Breen was incredulous as to why Le Batard would do such a thing so early in the morning, explaining that he turned on the Zoom call and immediately heard the phrase “guttural bang” from Le Batard. The show then replayed the call, leading Breen to cover his ears.
“Why are you covering your ears?,” Le Batard asked. “Are you like Gene Hackman? [He] couldn’t watch himself act. He wouldn’t watch his own movies. You can’t listen to yourself call a game?”
“No, you get sick of hearing the screaming fool,” Breen replied. “I’ve heard it already.”
Le Batard asked Breen to rank where the call of Nembhard’s game-deciding three-point basket would rank in being able to conjure the setting and magnitude of the moment. Breen outlined that he does not rank his calls but evinces that if one makes such a difference in a playoff game, it is likely high on the list.
“You know at the end of a great playoff game, the last two minutes [is] one of the most magical things in sports – a close playoff game in the last two minutes,” Breen said. “That game felt like the entire second half was played under those circumstances, so for then [Jalen] Brunson to go hit that big shot in a game that he had struggled, and then for Nembhard to come down and the most unlikeliest guy in a possession that was about to fall apart, it’s the surprise of the moment.”
Breen has a genuine adoration for the game of basketball and attributed his excitement to being a fan of the sport. Le Batard conveyed that it is clear Breen enjoys the games, but the fact that he roots for the Knicks is also palpable. Nonetheless, he has rarely been criticized in the national broadcasting space for being biased, prompting Le Batard to ask how he keeps a sense of objectivity.
“I try my very best when I put the headset on – and there’s so many things that are going on – that you have to do your job not just for you, but for your partners; for everybody in the truck to do a professional job,” Breen said. “So you just have to, and I’ve done it over the years. I haven’t done it a lot in recent years because the Knicks haven’t been in these kind of big playoff positions in recent years, but it’s a matter of concentration, making sure that you give that particular play the proper call that it deserves.”
Reflecting back on the play-by-play call, Breen is cognizant of the fact that some Knicks fans may not be content with him pertaining to the situation. He hopes that they are able to understand that he is just trying to do his job and effectuate a stellar national presentation. Nonetheless, it is something that announcers who broadcast both at the regional and national levels have had to face over the years.
“Every announcer goes through this, especially in the postseason when fans’ emotions are high, and they should be high and they should be fired up for their team that they always think that you’re rooting for the other team,” Breen said. “It happens every single postseason. This one is just a little different because I’m the regular-season announcer for the Knicks.”
